Disclaimer: I know there is a nutrition forum but I think this topic was best suited for the foyer because it's not just about nutrition, it's about personal responsibility. Also, I think this forum is more popular and I really want to know how you all feel about this.

Also, I know I am fixating on sugar in my spiel but this also applies to other unhealthy dietary choices.

I just recently realized that our cravings are a choice and a matter of perspective. Think of it this way: sugar and fat taste good for a reason. As babies, mother's milk is an easily digestible food for a developing tummy When kids get too much sugar they flip out and jump all over the place. This is a sign that sugary stuff is not good for them. I remember getting headaches with the sugar rush I'd feel from Captain Crunch. Sure, kids still love sugar and that quick source of energy triggers brain receptors that make them feel good. This high becomes addictive and thus a habit is born.

So then we grow up with a sugar addiction but we must remember that this is a habit that was cultivated. In survivalist situations when food is scarce, sugar and fat are ideal sources of nutrition. However, we do not live in those times. We lead leisurely lives and (sit on our asparagi a lot) yet do not adapt though we are aware of the fact that for our (collective) lifestyle, a lighter and more nutritionally dense diet is more apt. It is our responsibility to retrain our palates.

For example, a Chinese baby raised by American parents does not automatically crave Chinese food. As toddlers, our palates are trained. We are introduced to new foods and textures. And that training stays with you for life. I am so grateful that my mom fed my brother and me a healthy diet: I learned to love veggies and other healthy foods during those formative years. I was not born loving healthy food, I learned to do so by observing my mom and her enthusiasm for feeding herself and us healthfully. Plus, my mom has always been very attractive and her youthful attitude and appearance bore testament that the was doing things right. As adults we have a responsibility to make choices that are in our best interest. If we think that good food just doesn't "taste good", we must take charge and train our palates once again. It"s ironic that the junk food that makes us feel so good is killing us --we have become a society of hedonist feeders. The other day, on TV, I heard someone talk about "the drudgery of chewing" and that was her reason for not eating more whole foods. I'm sorry but, ARE YOU forking SERIOUS? Actually, many people cite that reason. Well, chewing is good. Roughage! Chewing starts the digestive process and releases enzymes that break down our food. A lot of foods that require chewing are that way because they are high in fiber.

It breaks my heart so see people suffering health problems that could have been prevented by way of good nutrition. My dad is a victim of this. It breaks my heart but deep down all I can think is, "What did you expect?"

There are so many people that act as if they're victims, and in a way they are, but the core issue is that they actually ARE able to change their way of living. It's just a matter of choice. Maybe I'm cruel for having that opinion.

That post is super condescending theluckyboom. I want to meet someone who was raised to think the bitter flavors of raw dandelion greens or hemp make them sinfully delicious desserts and cookie dough ice cream tastes healthy and gross. Because that person doesn't exist. Parenting plays a role in the way we eat, but it's not everything. Impulse control is surely partly genetic and eating choices are also influenced by a host of factors (friends, school, what you see in media, food access) outside of parenting. Additionally, for some households where the parent or parents are working a lot and resources are limited, it's much harder to regularly provide healthy meals.

_________________Like the beleaguered people of sub-Saharan Africa, I'll just go to Denny's. Solidarity!-mumbles

What vegimator said. There is such as a thing as a genuine aversion to certain flavours and textures. There's no way I'm ever going to like celery and you're certainly not going to convince me that whole wheat pasta tastes better than white. Oddly enough, I don't have an unattractive mother...

My mom is an alcoholic and has an eating disorder and she is gorgeous.

Also, food is not medicine. There are plenty of people on this forum who have chronic health conditions despite eating whole foods and tons of fruit and veg. There are plenty of people who eat crepe all day and live long, healthy lives.

Brown rice is not holy and sugar is not the Devil.

_________________A whole lot of access and privilege goes into being sanctimonious pricks J-DubDessert is currently a big bowl of sanctimonious, passive aggressive vegan enduced boak. FezzaYou people are way less funny than Pandacookie. Sucks to be you.-interrobang?!

Telling anecdotes about family members or other people you know doesn't really prove anything about the effect of diet on health. My grandmother grew up on a farm, lived to be 103 and ate meat & dairy her entire life. She had no degenerative diseases and was not on any medication even in the last stage of her life. She was healthy as a horse who is real healthy until she died of old age.

_________________Again, you are all brilliant and sexy. And I am lavender-laden and secure in my masculinity. - Sir Brancis Facon

Telling anecdotes about family members or other people you know doesn't really prove anything about the effect of diet on health. My grandmother grew up on a farm, lived to be 103 and ate meat & dairy her entire life. She had no degenerative diseases and was not on any medication even in the last stage of her life. She was healthy as a horse who is real healthy until she died of old age.

But was she attractive?

_________________"I'd rather have dried catshit! I'd rather have astroturf! I'd rather have an igloo!"~Isa

"But really, anyone willing to dangle their baby in front of a crocodile is A-OK in my book."~SSD

I am An Adult and I say my responsibility is to eat whatever I want, and what I want are things which are deep fried.

j-dub wrote:

bunniee wrote:

Telling anecdotes about family members or other people you know doesn't really prove anything about the effect of diet on health. My grandmother grew up on a farm, lived to be 103 and ate meat & dairy her entire life. She had no degenerative diseases and was not on any medication even in the last stage of her life. She was healthy as a horse who is real healthy until she died of old age.